


Well, Shit

by tieflingsaregayculture



Series: Through the Looking Glass [1]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe, Bodyswap, But its still a video game in our world!, Cassandra Pentaghast's Disgusted Noises, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Dragon Age: Inquisition Spoilers, F/F, Flemeth messes with time and space!, Inquistion main quest, Josephine is amazing, Kind of violent but not super graphic descriptions of it, Modern Girl in Thedas, POV Bisexual Character, POV Lavellan, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Solas Being Solas, Spoilers, The character in this has ptsd, magic!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-05-25 00:07:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6172150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tieflingsaregayculture/pseuds/tieflingsaregayculture
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regular, average, 22 year-old Sophia wakes up to find her self in the world of dragon age, in the body of a dalish elf (who is a mage!), with the anchor on her hand. She will have to survive demons, dragons, mages and templars to get home, but in the end she will have to choose between her old life and her new love.</p><p>Originally intended to have a slow burn Solas romance that mostly followed the in game romance but a little slower and with some differences, because I was writing this for my little sister who loves solas. But then she gave the right to choose the romance I wanted to me and so now it's a Josephine romance because she was my first and true dragon age romance. So yeah, sorry not sorry. I like Solas, but not in that way.</p><p>Just to let you guys know this gets abandoned after chapter 6, but chapter 7 is all just me saying what I had planned but I'm not going to do because I'm so busy I had to drop somthing and this was it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Where the hell am I?

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter of my first series on here! It feels special!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to let you guys know this gets abandoned after chapter 6, but chapter 7 is all just me saying what I had planned but I'm not going to do because I'm so busy I had to drop somthing and this was it.

The last thing I remember was drunkenly texing my friend to give me a ride, then passing out in the back seat of her car. I opened my eyes and slowly sat up.  
"Where the fuck am I?" I wondered to myself. I looked around and saw that I was laying in the snow. In the middle of the woods. I got up and started walking. I was freezing, I looked down at my clothes and saw that I was wearing an armored coat. It was familiar, but I couldn't think of what they were from. I wandered over to a puddle and looked in. What I saw was not what my face usually looked like, I had long hair, weird tree-like tattoos, and pointy elf ears. I reached back and tugged them. Real. Suddenly my vision went blurry, and I felt the sensation of falling.  
When I woke my memory was fuzzy, I remembered climbing, a bright light, and the fear of death, but that was all. I looked around to see where I was; I was in a dungeon of sorts lit by a dim green light. My surroundings were familiar, but I couldn't figure out were I recognized them from.  
I looked down to see that my hands were in shackels, and the green light seemed to be coming from my left hand. I looked closer, and saw a scar running down my palm from under my index finger then down diagonaly to the opposite corner of my hand. I wouldn't have given it much thought besides: 'how did I get that scar?', if it wasn't glowing green, making weird nosies, and causing me a hell of a lot if pain.  
I realized where I was.  
The door flew open and Cassandra and Leliana walked in.  
"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now? The conclave is destroyed, everyone who attended is dead. Except for you!" Cassandra accused. I wanted to say somthing, but I was to busy freaking out in my head. I wanted to scream, cry, or punch a wall!  
"Explain this!" Cassandra yelled grabbing my arm and thrusting it into my face, the anchor was glowing green on my hand. I really wanted to scream. This couldn't be possible! How is this happening!?  
"I don't know how I got here let alone how I got that!" I hastily explained.  
"You're lying!" She yelled and grabbed me angrily.  
"We need her Cassandra!" Leliana warned. Cassandra turned around and started pacing. "Do you remember how this began?"  
"I remember, running, there were spiders, and I thought I was going to die, and then, a... woman?" I tried to explain.  
"A woman?"  
"Go to the forward camp Leliana, I will take her to the breach." Cassandra said.  
The way to the breach went mostly as expected. We began to cross a bridge, but when we were halfway across, a green ball of fade energy stuff came flying at us, and hit the bridge. The bridge broke, and Cassandra and I were sent plumeting down onto the ice below. I hit the ground with a thump.  
"Ughhhh!" I groaned, "that'll... leave a mark"  
I stumbled to my feet to find Cassandra all ready up with her sword and shield in hand. A green ball of fade came crashing down and landed in front if us with a bang, it left a glowing goo puddle that began to bubble and make weird noises.  
"Stay behind me!" She yelled as a lesser shade began to spawn from the green fade puddle. She ran forward, and began to attempt to kill the demon. I looked around, thinking 'I know theres anwepon around here somewhere!' When I saw another green puddle, rising out of the ground, with a demon beginning to spawn in it. I looked behind me and saw a staff (a wooden stick used for magic with a spikey metal tip). I grabbed it, ready to whack the demon over the head with it.  
The demon rose out of the fade goo, and charged at me. Suddenly this kind of cool (as in cold), weird, calming sensation/feeling in my brain/mind that made me more focused (hard to explain) and my staff started glowing with this icey magic stuff. I instinctively pointed my staff at the shade and thought 'Stop!' Ice began to form at the bottom of the shade, it quickly spread up the demon, covering it in a blanket of ice. It was a kind of a "You're a wizard Harry!" moment, and I almost dropped my staff, but I quickly regained focus (the constant threat of death can do that) and lifted my staff up over my head like it was a greatsword, and brought it down as hard as I could on the shade's head (or whatever it is) the demon shattered into a bunch of little icey chunks of gross, black, gooey blood (at least I think it's blood).  
I realized the huge advantage they scale down in the game that mages have. In the game it takes a long time to kill things, like, they keep fighting until you kill them, when truly, you can kill things quickly with a smart move. I looked over to see Cassandra stab her demon through the heart(?)  
"Their dead, it's over," I said with a sigh a relief.  
"Drop your weapon! Now!" She yelled.  
"I was attacked! And you were off dealing with another demon!" I hastily explained, sure Cassandra would skewer me if I didn't answer soon enough.  
"Alright, keep the staff, but be warned, I do know how to deal with mages," she threatened. We moved on and faced more demons, with Cassandra tanking while I froze demons so she could kill them quickly. I tried to do some of of the cool staff twirly thingys and found that they weren't that hard (if you don't mind hiting yourself in the leg every 10 seconds). We fought our way to where Solas and Varric were, and saw Solas using his staff to combine magic and melee (like in DA2) and sending hunks of fade rock at enemies on occasion, whike Varric did the same thing but without magic. I froze a leasor terror tring to sneak up on Solas, and Cassandra got enemies away from both of them. Eventually we killed all the demons, and Solas held my held my hand up to the rift, nothing happend for a bit, but after a couple seconds a beam of green light appeared between my hand and the green fade crystal in the center broke, shattering all over us.  
"What did you do? I asked, although I already knew his answer.  
"I did nothing, the credit is yours,"  
"Really? That's good, that I can help, I mean,"  
"Yes, hopefully your mark will be sufficient in closing the breach,"  
"Good to know, here I thought we'd be ass deep in demons forever," Varric said. "Varric Tethras, rouge, story teller, and occasionally, unwelcome tag along." He winked, and Cassandra [disgusted noise]ed.  
"Its nice to meet you Varric," I said.  
"You may rethink that statement in a short while," Solas said.  
"Oh Chuckles, I'm sure we'll all become great friends in the valley,"  
"Absolutely not. Your help is appreciated Varric, but-"  
"Have you been in the valley lately Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore, you need me,"  
Cassandra "[disqusted noise]"  
We went into the valley, and fought a couple more demons, anf I got turned around (its the whole first person thing I think)  
"So you are dalish, I presume," Solas said. Shit, I was wasn't I... Shit! I forgot!  
"What? Oh, well, I guess so," I replied clumsily.  
"What do you mean by I guess so?" Solas asked, seeming very, very confused.  
"I just, I don't know, I never felt as thoughI really... belonged, I just wasn't really religious I guess..." I said, making stuff up as I went along.  
"Really? You are very different then every dalish I ever met then, why do you think you feel that way?"  
"Well... I um... never got along with the ,uh, other childeren, and when my father died... I uh, blamed the keeper, so maybe, uh, thats why,' I said, some of it was true (the best lies are mixed with the truth), my father was dead.  
"I am sorry, I did not mean to pry," he apologized  
"No its fine, he's been dead for ten years, and I'm over it by now," with that we continued on to the forward camp, where we restocked potions.  
We walked over to where chancellor Roderick was talking to Leliana I could hear him saying all this really rude, prick like stuff that just made me mad.  
"Here they come," he said.  
"Chancellor Roderick, this is-" Leliana said before she was cut off.  
"I know who she is! I order you to take this criminal to Val Royeaux to face execution!"  
"Order me! You are a glorified clerk, a bureaucrat!" Cassandra scoffed, glaring at the Chancellor.  
"And you are a thug! A thug who supposedly serves the chantry!"  
"We serve the most holy, as you well know," Leliana chimed in, looking down to signify belief/faith/mourning.  
"Justinia is dead, we must elect a replacement, and obey her orders on the matter!" He grumbled. Cassandra leaned forward and out her hands on the table, glaring furiously at him. He shook his head. "Call a retreat Seeker, our position here is hopeless!"  
"We can stop this before it's too late, if we make one final charge with the soldiers, we can close the breach, it is the safest route we can take," Cassandra said.  
"But not the fastest, there is a path through the mountain, it would mean getting to the breach faster," Leliana suggested, pointing towards one of the many mountain peaks,  
"We lost contact with an entire squard on that path, it's to risky!" Cassandra said, turning to Leliana.  
"Well we must agree soon!"  
Cassandra turned to me. "How do you think we should proceed?"  
I thought about it for a minute. "So, if we take the mountain path, soldiers will probably be lost, but the breach will be dealt with sooner. And if we charge with the soldiers, maybe a couple scouts will be lost, and less soldiers will be lost, but we will most likely get to the breach later... well... um... I think, we should charge, it seems to have more pros than cons," I said, finnaly coming to a decision. My memory was kind of fuzzy, and I couldn't quite remember what happened depending on the player choice, it was weird.  
We climbed up to where the soldiers were, and joined them in the charge. There was a lot of demons, but we were able to fight through them and seal the small rift spawning them.  
"Sealed as before, you are becoming quite proficient at this," Solas said.  
"Lets hope it works on the big one," Varric said, nodding towards the breach. I looked over to see Cullen walking over to us, his armor gleaming in the sunlight.  
"Lady Cassandra, you managed to close the rift, well done," he said. I felt a strange sensation of come over me, and I began to realize I couldn't remember what he was about to say, even though I knew most of the lines in the game (vaguely). I tryed to remember what happened next but couldn't, I couldn't remember if I close the breach or not, I couldn't remember any of the missions or how the game ends even though I've played through the game a million times. I was about have a major freak out when Cassandra spoke.  
"Do not congratulate me comander, this is the prisioners doing," she said.  
"Is it? I hope the're right about you, we lost a lot of people getting you here," he said, turning his gaze to me.  
"I uh, I can't promise anything, but I'll try my best," It felt weird, saying that, I couldn't remember any of the dialouge options, but that line sounded so familiar! Urrrrgh!  
"Thats all we can ask," he said before turning to Cassandra, "the way to the temple is clear, and Leliana should meet you there."  
Cassandra looked him in the eye and said, "then give us time Commander,"  
"Maker watch over you, for all our sakes," he said looking at me. Cullen walked back towards where we came from, and began to help a man who was limping walk. We turned around, starting our walk to the temple.  
We made our way towards the temple, an as we neared a horrible stench filled my nose and I gagged, I could see burnt human bodies all around the temple. I fell to my nees and threw up all over the ground. When I was done emptying my stomach of the few contents already in it, I got up and wiped my mouth on my sleeve. Cassandra wrinkled her nose and shook her head, but Varric gave me a friendly/concerned look.  
We began to walk into the temple. There were more bodies inside the temple, each with their mouth open in a silent scream, forever reaching out with twisted limbs and melted flesh.  
"Good, you're here!" Leliana said, entering behind us.  
"Leliana, have your people take positions around the temple," Cassandra replied. Leliana nodded and motioned for her people to follow her. Cassandra turned to me and gave me a stern: 'don't mess this up' face.  
"Are you ready?" She asked.  
"Yes, I'll try my best, but that breach is a long way up..." I said, very worried that it wasn't going to work.  
"No, that breach was the first, seal it, and prehaps you seal them all," Solas said as if he could hear the doubt in my voice. I nodded at him and we walked down toward the breach.  
"Now is the hour of our victory, bring forth the sacrifice," A ridiculously deep voice boomed from an unintelligible location in the temple. Cassandra looked around in shock.  
"What!- who was that?!" She asked, looking at us.  
"At a guess, the person who created the breach," Solas replied  
Solas told us what we had to do, and we prepared, I opened the breach, and out of it came a pride demon. I started to shoot ice at it, and Cassandra went up and started tanking (but with more dodging and blocking) Varric started shooting it and Solas put barriers around us. The barriers were nothing like in the game, he waved his hand towards us, probably focusing on which of us needed the barriers most, he cast them on Cassandra and some soldiers fighting up close to the demon, I didn't know what to do besides keep shooting ice at it, so thats what I did, eventually the demon used it's power to cast a shield spell upon itself, and I had to disrupt the rift to break the spell. More demons came through, and two came at me, Solas cast a barrier on me and I slashed one of the demons with my staff, channeling fire so the demon melted away, then froze the other in ice and smashed it as hard as I could with my staff. It broke into a bunch of pieces, and both were dead. I felt so cool, I had just done that! It was awesome. I knew how to fight, I've been in a couple street fights before (someone tried to mug me with a knife) but I've never defeated two demons (shades) within less than 20 seconds, and done it that awesomely (the magic added to the coolness). I turned around and started to attack the pride demon again. Finally after having to disrupt the rift another 2 times, the pride demon finnally faded away and back into the breach.  
"Close the breach! Now!" Cassandra yelled.  
I stepped forward and reached out my hand, consentrating on closing the breach. Suddenly my head exploded with pain and I almost fell to the ground, but stayed standing. My headache kept getting worse until the breach made a loud bang, and I crumpled to the ground, and my vision went black.  
\- - - "My lady! I didn't realize you were awake, I am so sorry," she stuttered.  
"It's ok, you don't have to apologize," I assured her.  
She dropped to her nees and said, "I beg your forgiveness my lady, for I am just a humble servent!" She said before getting back up. "You are back in Haven m'lady, they say you saved us!"  
"You mean, we're safe? What happened to the breach? Is it closed?" I asked.  
"They do say we're safe but the breach is still in the sky, you stopped it from growing," she replied, backing up a bit, "lady Cassandra wanted you to see her at the Chantry when you awoke, at once she said!"  
The girl ran out of the room. I took a moment to bury my face in my hands and just cry. My family probably thought I was dead, I was stuck in a fantasy world filled with magic, demons and dragons! I wiped my eyes on my sleeve and stood up.  
After I was pretty sure my eyes weren't red and puffy, I walked out of the door, and was met by a crowd of soldiers standing in two groups across from each other, creating a path for me up to the chantry. They all had their hands over their hearts in a salute with their heads held high. I walked towards the chantry, feeling super awkward. When I got to the chantry doors, I shoved them open.  
"The elf failed Seeker!" I heard the Chancellor say. I walked angrily down the hallway and threw open the doors to the war room. "Chain her! I want her prepared for travel to the capital for trial!" He said to two templars.  
"Disregard that, and leave us," Cassandra said.  
"You walk a dangerous line Seeker," he grumbled.  
"You still think I'm a suspect? Even after we stopped the breach from growing!?" I said, I really hate Chancellor Roderick.  
"You absolutely are!" He growled.  
Cassandra glared, "No. She is not."  
"Someone was behind the explosion at the conclave, someone Most Holy did not expect," Leliana said, looking at the Chancellor.  
"I am a suspect?!" He asked.  
"You. And many others," Leliana said.  
"But not the prisoner?" He grumbled.  
"I have a name you know, don't call me the prisioner like I'm not here!" I said. That guy is a prick!  
"I heard the voices at the temple, the divine called out to her for help!" Cassandra said. I had forgotten how religious she was.  
"So you think what happened at the temple, the mark on her hand, all a coincidence?!" He demanded.  
"Providence. The maker sent her to us in out time of need,"  
"You have no authority-"  
Cassandra grabbed a book and threw it down on the table. "You know what this is, Chancellor. It is a writ from the divine granting us the authority to act!" She said. "As of this moment, I declare the Inquisiton reborn! We will close the breach, we will find those responsible and we will restore order! With or without your approval!"  
She was so badass, definitely on my list of top 5 characters in this game. Chancellor Roderick stoped arguing, and stormed out of the room.  
"This is the divines directive: rebuild the Inquisiton of old. Find those who will stand against the chaos. We aren't ready. We have no leader, no numbers, and now, no Chantry support," Leliana said.  
"But we have no choice, we must act," Cassandra turned to me, "with you at our side." I thought about it for a second. I didn't really have a choice, if I didn't, then the breach wouldn't be closed and I would be most likely possessed or eaten by a demon, If I stayed with the Inquisiton, I could learn more magic, how to control it, and possibly be harrowed. Maybe I could get home.  
"Of course Cassandra, I'll help in whatever way I can," I said. I thought I saw Cassandra smile for a second. She held out her hand, and I shook it. Now officially part of the Inquisiton, wow. "Cassandra, before you leave I have a question," I said, stopping her on her way out. She nodded. "Are you sure the Maker sent me? A teenage mage with pretty much zero experience?"  
"It is not for me to decide what the Maker does. If he sent an elf what am I to deny him?" She put simply.  
"Oh. Well... um... thank you," I said awkwardly.  
"I believe you should find your quarters, there should be better armor on your bed," she suggested. I cocked my head and she gave me directions.  
"Well, thanks, and uh, bye!" I said, running off towards my room.  
My room wasn't very big, but I wasn't complaining, at least the bed was comfortable. And as Cassandra said, there was some nice leather armor on the bed, the mages outfit you get in the game. It had a blueish tint, and as I looked closer, I could see that it had lyrium sewn into it. It was basicly a long coat with a large belt that protected my gut (and held up my pants) with leather leggings and hardend leather (if you've ever played runescape you know what I'm talking about) shin guards, nee pads and I could feel a chain mail pach where my heart was. It all fit comfortably and perfectly, they must have fit it while I slept (weird). I tested it out by jumping on the bed, it was easy to move in and light, but it felt strong and well protecting. Hopefully good enough against demons (and probably bandits).  
I walked back down to where I could see Cassandra, Cullen and Leliana waiting for me at the front of the Chantry. Cassandra nodded at me when she saw my armor. I looked out over Haven and saw the new recruits training, and felt a little nervous twinge in my stomach. I was terrified, I couldn't remember anything if how the game played out. It was like I had a block in my mind, and if I tried to remember, I hit a mental wall or something.  
I was overwhelmed, and needed desperately for someone to talk to or something. I wasn't meant for this, I'm a fucking 19 year old girl with no experience stopping wars or sealing giant demon holes in the sky! But if I fail, if I die, I might never go home.


	2. Fucking Nightmares Man...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophia becomes plagued by nightmares and the plot of the game progresses.

I woke up drenched in sweat with the blankets thrown on the floor.  
"It was just a dream, it was just a dream Sophia!" I said to myself trying to calm down. I dreamt I was in a snowy forest, my family was on the other side of the clearing. I ran towards them, but I couldn't get any closer, and then a bright light flashed and they were lying on the ground, a pool of blood seeping out from under them.  
It was horrible, and I needed to shake it from my mind, so I got up and put on some clothes. Deciding not to wake everyone by "gracefully" going down the hallway, I opened the window and (as quietly as possible) climbed out. It was cold, and I kinda wish I had out on warmer clothes, but I would be fine.  
I walked through the empty town, it was still dark, and probably really early in the morning, so everything was quiet. It was nice, peaceful, and I desperately needed peaceful after the last couple days. I pushed open the gates and walked out towards the frozen lake. I stopped when I saw Cullen (in full armor [lol, of course!]) looking out over the lake. I slowly approached, and he turned around in surprise when he saw me.  
"Lady Lavellen?! What are you doing out here?" He asked, probably shocked to see me up really early.  
"I could ask the same of you, Commander," I said.  
"I needed to clear my head," he said. Reaching back and putting a hand on the back of his neck.  
"Same, it's been a stressful couple of days and I couldn't sleep," I said, looking towards the breach. Just looking at the breach made me nervous, I had to close it. Me! I couldn't get my mom to let me go to a concert, let alone save a world!  
Cullen must have seen the worried look in my face, because he tried (and failed) to give me a comforting smile.  
I stared out over the lake, the sky a light greenish purple near one of the mountains to the north. It was beautiful, the pre-dawn sky, the sun here rose in the north and set in south according to the compass I borrowed from Varric.  
After 30 more seconds or so of akwardly standing I left and walked around the pond for a while. I found my self walking into the small wooded area near the town. I decided to turn back after going about five steps in, if I had my staf or my armor I might go in, but I'm not going to risk being eaten by demons.  
By the time I was done with my walk it was dawn and the troops were already out and training. I could hear Cullen yelling at recruit to correct their stance and smiled to myself. When I got up to the Chantry Cassandra was outside, talking to the quartermaster. When she saw me, she said something to Threnn, and then approached me. She motioned for me to follow her, and we walked into the Chantry. My mark stung for a second and I lifted my hand to examine it.  
"Does it trouble you?" Cassandra asked.  
"I just wish I remember what happened," I replied.  
"A question we will answer once the breach is sealed," she said, and opened the door into the war room.  
I must not have noticed Cullen pass me on my way to the Chnatry, because he was already in the war room with Leliana and who I assume is another major character I've forgotten (urgh!).  
"You've already met our commander," Cassandra said, motioning to Cullen. He nodded a hello and I smiled in return. Cassandra continued, "And this is our Ambassador and Chief diplomat; Lady Josephine Montilyet."  
"Andaran atish an," she said. The weird thing was, I understood what it meant: I welcome you in peace. Wtf is going on with my memories!  
"You speak elven?" I asked.  
"You have heard the entirety of it, I'm afraid," she replied.  
"And you remember Leliana," Cassandra motioned to her.  
"My position here involves a degree of-" she said before Cassandra cut her off.  
"She is our spy master."  
"Tactfully put, Cassandra,"  
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," I said.  
"Solas belives that is the mark is given anough power, we can seal the breach," Cassandra said, jumping right into buisness.  
"Which means we must approach the rebel mages for help," Leliana advised.  
"I still disagree, the templars could serve just as well," Cullen said.  
"We need power Commander. Enough magic poured into the mark-" Cassandra began.  
"Could destroy us all! The templars could suppress the breach, weaken it so-," Cullen said before Leliana interupted.  
"Pure speculation," Leliana said.  
"I was a templar, I know what they can do," he said, defending his point again.  
"Unfortunately we don't have enough influence to approach either side," Josephine said. "The Chantry has denounced us," she turned to me, "and you specifically."  
"They still think I'm guilty?" I asked.  
"That is not the entirety of it anymore. Some are calling you, a dalish elf, the Herald of Andraste, that frightens the Clerics,"  
"So if I wasn't here?" I suggested.  
"No. Not an option, we need you to close the breach," Cassandra said. "And even if you weren't, they would still denounce us."  
"There is something we can do, a Chantry sister by the name of Mother Giselle has asked to speak with you, she is currently in the hinterland, tending to the wounded refugees there, I can send agents to scout the Hinterlands, set up camps and protect Mother Giselle and the refugees," Leliana suggested.  
"Sounds like our best option," I said, everyone nodded their heads in aprroval.  
"Try to find other ways to expand the Inquisiton's influence while you're there," Cullen said.  
"We need to agents in more places, and you are better suited than anyone recruit them," Josephine added.  
"I will send word as soon as you are able to leave, and will ask Varric and Solas if they would be willing to go with," Leliana said. At the sound of Varric's name, Cassandra did her infamous [disqusted noise] and I did all I could to stop myself from giggling.  
With that we left the war room. I went back to my room to put my armor back on (you never know when you could be attacked by a demon [haven is right next to a giant demon spawning rift!]) When all my armor was on, and my staff was strapped to my back I walked back down to where the troops were training and approached Cullen.  
"Recruit! Theres a shield in your hand! Block with it!" He barked at a recruit who kept getting hit with the practice sword. "Lieutenant, theses recruits need to be trained for a real fight, not a practice one, do not go easy on them!"  
He turned to me. "We've recieved a number of recruits, some locals from Haven and some pilgrims. None made quite the entrance you did."  
"Well, at least I got peoples attention," I joked.  
"That you did. I was recruited into the Inquisition in Kirkwall myself. I was there during the mage uprising, I saw first hand the devastation it caused," he paused to sign some documents. "Cassandra sought a solution, when she offered me a position I left the templars to join her cause. Now it seems we face something far worse."  
"Hopefully the anchor will work this time," I said.  
"Provided we can secure aid, but I'm confident we can. The Chantry lost control over both the mages and templars, and now they argue over a new Divine while the Breach waits. The Inquisiton can act when the Chantry cannot. Our followers will be a part of that. There is so much we can-" he shook his head, "forgive me, I doubt you came here for a lecture."  
I smiled. "I didn't, but If you have one prepared I won't say no."  
"Another time perhaps," he said, looking away, "there's still a lot of work ahead."  
"Commander, Sir Ryan has a report on the supply lines," a messanger said, handing Cullen a stack of papers.  
"As I was saying," he said, and walked away to read the report.  
As I was walking away, a thought entered my head: tell Solas what really happened. I didn't quite realize why the thought entered my mind, or why it was a good idea, but I ended up walking over to where Solas was anyways.  
"So, the Herald of Andraste, a blessed hero sent to save us all," he said as I approached.  
"Am I riding in on a shining steed?" I joked.  
"I would have suggested a griffin, but sadly, they are extinct," he replied. "Joke as you will, posturing is necessary," he walked I've journeyed deep into the fade in ancient ruins and battle fields to see the dreams of lost civilizations. I've watched spirts act as hosts to reenact the bloody past in wars both famous and forgotten. Every great war has its heros. I'm just curious to see what kind you'll be."  
"What do you mean ruins and battle fields?" Solas went on to talk about the fade and memories and stuff. Afterwards I began to tell him about how I thedas.  
"So, these... games are what? Prophecy?" He asked, after I had explained th whole" I come from a world where your life is part of a game/story.  
"Maybe? Probably? I don't really know,"  
"What was the other one you mentioned, the third?"  
"Dragon Age... Inquisition..."  
"Inquistion? Our Inquisiton?"  
"Yes... and I have played it several times, and use to know what happend in it..."  
"Use to?"  
"I forgot soon after I got here,"  
"How did you get here?"  
"Thats the thing, I don't know, and I was kinda hoping... you could help me get back home..." I asked.  
"I might be able to, if I could figure out why you have taken on the form of a dalish elf, and how and why you got here" he answered. "But I do hope you will stay around long enough to close the breach."  
"Well, yeah, I may be an awkward teenage girl who can't do shit, but I'm not an asswhole!" I laughed.  
"I am glad you are staying lethalan," he said.  
"You know, I do know a little about the elven gods, and I was wondering, could you teach me more, help me pass the time?" I asked, changing the subject.  
"Of course, I would gladly share my knoledge with you," he said, smiling.  
After a while of talking, I went to the tavern to find some food. The bartender was an elven woman named Flissa who was so kind and polite (because I'm the Herald) that I had to force her to take my money. She charged to litte, and made sure that my food was extra good and exactly how I wanted it, so on the way out I gave her a pretty big tip (still had to insist she take it!) And walked over to Varric to see if he had any copies of the Tale of the Champion I could borrow. He gave me one to read, and I went back to my room.  
It was a good book, and Varric was a good writer. Hawke was a rouge named Katelin who appearantly has a soft spot for adorable blood mages. She helped the mages, and basically chose none of the bad choices and was generally a pretty good person. I couldn't sleep again so I read the book all night and finished it by what I guessed was around 2am.  
"Varric, do you have any copies if Hard in Hightown I could borrow?" I asked Varric the next morning.  
"Didn't I give you a book last night?" He asked.  
"Yeah, and I read it, it was really good,"  
"Thanks, but you do realize that sleep deprivation isn't a good thing right?"  
"I haven't been sleeping well recently, and reading is a good distraction for recent events,"  
"All right, but you better get some sleep soon, because a couple of Leliana's scouts have returned from the Hinterlands,"  
"Good, waiting around is really boring,"  
"At least try to get some sleep before we set out to save the world jumpey," He warned.  
"Hmm... jumpy not sure it's quite as descriptive as broody," We laughed at that, and he gave me the book and told me that there were more in the Inquisiton's library. I thanked him and went on my way, heading towards the clearing in the woods that Solas had been teaching me magic in.  
Leveling up in video games is complete shit. In the beginning of DAI, your party members only have like, two abilitys, Solas has cool fade powers, Cassandra is a very well trained warrior, Varric is great at setting traps, and magic doesn't require you to kill 20 lessor terrors to learn new abilitys.  
I now knew how to heal, cast fire, lightning, and some spirit spells, and I also made a spell that makes me invisable, like the weird powder stuff rouges use to turn invisable but with magic. It made it so people can't see me (its really great for sneaking up on Cullen and Joshephine).  
"I see you are ready to begin," Solas said, stepping into the clearing.  
"I am, and just to let you know, I've been working on that spell, and I think I figured it out, I " I said. Solas was about to start to teach me more about how to control my abilitys, when one of Leliana's agents came running through the trees.  
"Herald! Leliana told me to find you, she said it was important!" She said, panting from running all over Haven to find me.  
"Solas, I have to-"  
"It is alright, lethalan, we will continue this later,"  
The agent ran off and I went to talk to Leliana.  
"You wanted to see me?" I said as I approached Leliana's little tent thingy.  
"Yes, my agents have returned from the Hinterlands, and it is... not good," she said.  
"What do you mean by not good?" I asked, worried something had happened to Mother Giselle .  
"The war between mages and templars has spread to the crossroads, where Mother Giselle was last seen. Our agents have been protecting her as best as possible, but can only hold out for a little while longer, we have aranged for you to leave for the Hinterlands tomorrow at dawn," she explained. I nodded in agreement.  
I walked back down to the clearing to find that no one was there. "Solas?!" I called. I was about to turn around and head back when a gloved hand wrapped around my mouth and pulled me into the trees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back and with another chapter!  
> I'm trying to post these one chapter a week.


	3. Let's Get Down to Business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To defeat, the huns... 
> 
> (Sorry I had that song stuck in my head and it fit the chapter so yeah)  
> This is the chapter when they finally start to get stuff done.

The glove smelled of garbage, and was itchy against my skin. I squirmed, and when I couldn't wiggle free I did the only thing I could; I bit his finger and kicked him in the nuts. He groaned and let me go.  I  jumped away, grabbing my staff from where it was strapped to my back. I channeled frost, freezing the man's legs in a thick blanket of ice. I was about to go and find Leliana when an agent came running through the trees.  
“Herald!” The agent yelled. I turned around to see a giant of a man standing above me with a giant war hammer.  
“RUN!” I yelled and ran for it, the man (probably a bandit) came after us, yelling as he crashed through the trees behind us, I pushed the agent ahead of me, “Run as fast as you can and get someone!”  
The agent ran off (way faster than I could ever run), I assumed to find Leliana. I continued running through the trees until I crashed into something. I looked up.  
“Get behind me!” Cullen yelled. I didn’t need to be told twice, I ran behind Cullen, as he and the bandit charged at full speed towards each other. Cullen dodged out of the way at the last second and the bandit ran into a tree. The bandit got back up and started swinging at Cullen. Cullen dodged the swings, and I quickly regained my senses, I put a barrier around Cullen, and sent a gust of wind at the bandit, the spell knocked me over, but only made the bandit stumble. He took another swing at Cullen, and Cullen moved to dodge it again. I began shooting ice at the bandit, mixing in a little lightning every once in a while, eventually I had enough mana to cast a more powerful spell, and sent a massive fireball at the bandit. The bandit caught on fire and gave Cullen enough of a distraction to hit the bandit over the head with a massive rock. The bandit fell over, obviously knocked out. The fire spell had used up a lot a mana, and I was exhausted. "Cullen, thank you," I said.  
"Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" He asked.  
"I just used up a lot of mana, that’s all,"  
"Good, are there any more?"  
"Yeah, there's one in the clearing, frozen in ice, I'm sure Leliana will want to question them,"  
"Sophia! You're bleeding!" His voice sounded distant, or like I was underwater.  
"What do you-" and with those words, I passed out.  
\---  
Little did Sophia know, she had been poisoned, when she collapsed, Cullen moved quickly, and grabbed her before she hit the ground. He carried her all the way back to Haven, where they put her in her room, with many healers and eventually, found the antidote for the poison. By the end of 5 days, Sophia had made a full recovery, and was packing to go to the Hinterlands.  
\---  
"So I do hope you guys know that I have no idea how to get to anywhere in the Hinterlands right?" I said.  
"You do know that, that is the purpose of maps?" Varric joked.  
"Well, someone will still have to point me in the right direction, or we will get hopelessly lost!" Varric chuckled at that, and I swear I got a smile from Solas, Cassandra just made a  "disgusted noise".  
Sometimes I wish that fast travel was real, but it's not. We rode for a two or three weeks, and eventually we got to our camp in the Hinterlands. Scout Harding gave us a report, which consisted of her telling us that we have to do everything ourselves. Everything was going fine until we were attacked by mages and templars. A templar decided it was a good idea to get all up close and personal, so I used my staff as a melee weapon. (I hit him on the head with the spikey end). He wasn't wearing a helmet and blood just started pouring everywhere, all over me, he died, and I had killed him. He could have had family! I just froze up, and Cassandra had to get in between a templar and me because I had dropped my staff (which was covered in blood). Killing demons wasn't like killing people, they’re demons, there’s an infinite amount of them, bit people, they have lives, families, morals, personality! And I had just, erased that, gotten rid of it! That templar would never exist ever again, and I would never forget what I had done.  
When I finally regained my ability to move, I picked up my staff and began to cast spells to disable or knock out my targets. I knew this wouldn't be the last time I would kill someone, but I certainly didn't want to make a habit out of it. When both the mages and the templars were defeated, we began to set up a camp of sorts, although it was more like a very, very, small town. We set up infirmaries for the refugees and soon I had found Mother Giselle.  
"Mother Giselle?" I asked.  
"I am, and you must be the one they are calling the Herald of Andraste," she said.  
"I'm told you asked for me,"  
"I did. I know about the Chantry's denouncement, and I am familiar with those behind it. I won't lie to you, some of them are grandstanding, trying to increase their chance of becoming the new divine. Some of them are simply terrified, so many good people, senselessly taken from us..."  
What happened at the conclave was... horrible,"  
"Fear makes us desperate, but hopefully not beyond reason," she said. "Go to them, convince the remaining clerics you are not demon to be feared. They have only heard frightful tales of you, give them something else to believe."  
"So... you want me to appeal to them?"  
"Let me put it this way: You needn't convince them all, you just need some of them to doubt, I'm not sure whether you've been touched by fate, but, I hope,"qq1 With that she turned around and went back to helping the refugees. I turned to my party.  
"So.... anyone have any thoughts on what to do now? Do we travel back to Haven and start planning a holiday to Orlais, or do we do as Cullen suggested and find ways to expand the Inquisition’s influence?" I asked.  
"I'm sure Leliana will know if Mother Giselle secretly picks her nose when no one’s looking in a matter of days, you never know, she might even have our underpants already packed nicely in a sack for us when we return!" Varric joked. It was nice, having him around, he eased the tension with his jokes, and reminded me of one of my friends from back home.  
"My friend told a joke similar to that once," I said.  
"They told a joke about a spymaster who knows when you pick your nose?"  
"No, a joke about underwear. I was going somewhere over the summer, and she wanted to come with, so she told me to throw her underwear in a bag and stow her in my luggage," I said, I remembered us laughing as the willow branches danced above us in the wind, as we talked of little things, mundane compared to what I was part of now. The memory brought tears to my eyes, but I blinked them away before anyone noticed.  
"I think I should meet this friend of yours," he laughed.  
I gritted my teeth, "Sorry to disappoint you Varric, but I don't think I will be able to see Emma ever again,"  
"Sorry jumpy, if I had known...""It's all right Varric, you didn't, and it was never your fault," all he did was nod, and we went on with our business.  
Cassandra suggested we speak to Corporal Vale, and he basically told us that we should help the refugees and find the horsemaster. Cassandra marked the location of the Redcliffe farms on the map, and soon we were off to explore the world I thought only existed in a video game.  
The geography was exactly the same as in the game. I shook my head. How could I remember little things, like geography and my opinions on characters but not important stuff like how the game played out!?  
We spent at least two weeks in the Hinterlands, doing almost every quest we had time for. Closed every rift (that we knew of), did everything we could for the refugees, and fought a lot of people. I had bruises all over and was so sore by the end of the second week, that not even magic or potions could help, Solas said that the only thing to further help would be a good rest. So of course I was pretty happy when I received a letter from Leliana, telling us she could get us into Val Royeaux without us being attacked by a mob of angry religious people.  
"Ok peoples! Time to pack up and move out!" I yelled, getting the attention of everyone. We packed up all our stuff, loaded it onto our horses and began the long ride back to Haven.  After only 5 days of traveling, we finally rode into the Haven stables. It was a relief, being back in civilization, with mostly warm beds, freshish food, and you don't have be looking over your shoulder most for danger most of the time.  
My day got even better when an agent told me Josephine had prepared for a meal to be brought up to my room.  
"Herald!" And agent yelled, walking towards where I was un-saddling and brushing down my horse (my grandparents owned a black stallion).  
"Uh... report?" I said, not quite sure what to say."Ambassador Montilyet wants to let you know that she has taken the liberty to have a hot meal and several books waiting for you in your room." I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Josephine did that for me?  
"Um, thanks. And uh, tell her... tell her that she has my sincere gratitude," I said, attempting to sound dignified. He agent ran off to the chantry, and I finished brushing my horse.  
My room now had two large bookshelves filled with books, a small desk in the corner, and a very small table laid with food. The food consisted of some sort of meat (ram?), bread and cheese, wine (no water purifiers), and something similar to a Skyrim sweetroll. My stomach grumbled, and I realized how hungry I was. I sat down and dug in, and in about 20 minutes my plate was empty.  
Then, I started on the books. The shelves were full of books; history books, elven books (yay!), dwarven books (kind of boring), the Chant of Light (no way I'm reading that!), all of Varric's books, and plain old human fiction. I scanned the books until I came upon a title; The Fifth Blight by Aelin S. Of the Ferelden Circle of Magi. I picked it out, hoping to find out what the world state is like.  
After reading all night I found out that the book was written by Warden Commander Aelin Surana of the Ferelden Circle of Magi, aka the Hero of Ferelden. The Hero was a mage conscripted into the Grey Wardens by Duncan against her will, because she tried to help her friend escape the tower. She destroyed the anvil of the void, crowned Behlen, got the help of the mages/didn't annul the tower, brokered peace between the dalish and the werewolves, saved Redcliffe, kept Andraste’s ashes untainted, crowned Anora, was able to kill the Archdemon without dying, and every singke heroic choice in that game. I was almost finished with the book when there was a knock at my door. I drowsily got up and opened the door.  
"Sorry to wake you Your worship, but I have a letter for you," Said an agent, handing me a sealed letter. I took it and closed the door behind the agent. I sat down and opened the letter:  
Sophia,  
I have received a letter from your clan, they believe we have you held captive and wish to hear word that you are here of your own free will. Their letter is included.  
-Leliana  
I took the out the other letter, and unfolded it:  
Clan Lavellan offers greetings to the Inquisition and wishes it well in sealing the Breach that has opened in the sky. While some Dalish clans hate humans and wish nothing to do with them, Clan Lavellan has always dealt fairly with all and wished only for peace. That said, we have on occasion been forced to defend ourselves from those who saw us only as potential victims.  
It has come to our attention that a member of our clan is being held captive by your Inquisition. She went to the Conclave only to observe the peace talks between your mages and templars, and we find it highly unlikely that she intentionally violated your customs. If she has been charged with a crime, we would appreciate hearing of it. If not, it would ease our concerns to hear from her to know that she remains with the Inquisition of her own will.  
We await your reply,  
-Keeper Istimaethorial Lavellan  
Memories flooded my brain; camping in the woods, the smell of a camp fire and herbs. Memories of being dalish were somehow now in my mind; getting my valaslin in front of the entire camp, exceeding in healing magic taught by the keeper, defending the camp from bandits, my father (except with pointy ears and valaslin) dying because the keeper didn't let me heal him, and an elven girl named Lirill, who I had fond memories of. It was strange, the memories were new, but felt old, like they had always been there. I need to talk to Solas, it was almost time for magic lessons anyways. But did I need magic lessons anymore? I held out my hand and was able to summon a small flame without even concentrating on it. I burned my other hand with it and was able to heal it instantly with a powerful healing spell. The wound completely disappeared from my hand, leaving no trace of burnt flesh.  
I put my armor on and touched my staff to my back, using magic to stick it in place. I cheerily walked down to the woods, whistling Warriors by Imagine Dragons.  
"This is none of your business, flat ear!" Spat a strangely familiar voice.  
"I am sure you will find that Sophia is quite happy here," Solas's voice calmly explained.  
"And just how do you know she's why we're her?" The voice said, full of disgust and distrust.  
"The Inquisition received a letter from your keeper last night, explaining your concerns,"  
"What’s going on here?" I asked, stepping into the clearing, my hands on my hips.  
"Sophia! We're saving you from the shemlens!" Yelled an elf from my memory; Lirill.  
"Rescue me? From the Inquisition? I don't think you'd get past Cassandra," I said. Solas smiled a little.  
"The seeker? She's just a shemlen," said a male elf I recognized as a hunter named Tamras.  
"Well then she's 'just a shemlen' who saved a divine from a dragon. A high dragon. Multiple high dragons" I said. "But even if you got past her, the Inquisition army, and Leliana's scouts, I wouldn't go with you."  
"What? But- why?" Lirill said.  
"Because of  the 'shemlens' and 'flat ears' you're trying to rescue me from. Because of Cassandra, Cullen, Josephine, Leliana, Solas, and Varric, because of the mark on my hand that makes everyone believe I'm the 'Herald of Andraste', because the breach is a big problem and staying is the right fucking thing to do!" I yelled. "I'm sorry if I caused you grief, but I'm fine. You are welcome to stay here as long as you want, if you need money or supplies to get back to the clan, I'm sure Josephine will be able to provide both." I turned on my heel and walked out of the clearing.  
I shoved my door open, slamming it behind me. I fell onto the bed, and started to just cry. Lirill had looked just like Emma if she had big eyes, pointy ears and facial tattoos. If this was some crazy dream, waking up would be nice about now.  
\---  
I gasped as Val Royeaux's beautiful spires and colorful buildings came into view. It was at least two or three times bigger than in the game, and even then it was pretty big. I straitened my back and put on a friendly face when we began to cross the bridge leading into the city. It wasn't very helpful, we were two elven mages, a dwarf with a wicked crossbow and a famed dragon killing seeker. So of course the first person we see screams and runs away. Great.  
"Just a guess Seeker, but I think everyone knows who we are," Varric said as we walked through the main gates.  
"Your observation skills never fail to impress me, Varric," Cassandra said, her voice thick with sarcasm. An agent ran up, the same nervous awe on her face as every other agent that run up to me.  
"Seeker Cassandra!" She yelled.  
"You're one of Leliana's people, what have you found?" Cassandra asked.  
"The chantry mothers await you in the courtyard, but so do a great many templars," she said.  
“There are templars here?”  
“People seem to think the templars will protect from.. from the Inquisition,” the agent said disbelievingly. “They’re gathering on the other side of the market. I think that’s where the templars intend to meet you.”  
“Only one thing to do then, Cassandra said, walking forward with determination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the pov change I won't do it again. I was experimenting and now I'm too lazy to figure out how to change it.


	4. French People Are Weird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orlais.  
> That's all I have to say.  
> Orlais.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna try and post the next two on the next upcoming Fridays but since I don't have anything past chapter 6 written after that posting will become sporadic.

“Return to Haven. Someone will have to inform them if we are… delayed.” Cassandra said to the agent.  
“As you say my lady.”  
We walked cautiously through the large crowd, while still trying to portray confidence. Leliana had been trying to teach me how to act and talk around different people; how to play the Grand Game effectively enough to not lose. She had gone over several times the right kind of things to say to certain kinds of people. So as we approached the ranting mother, I went through the options of things to say in my head, until I settled on one.  
“Good people of Val Royeaux! Hear me!” The mother yelled as we came to a stop at the front of the crowd. “Together we mourn our Divine. Her naïve and beautiful heart silenced by treachery! You wonder what will become of her murderer. Well. Wonder no more.” She said, looking directly at me. “Behold the so-called Herald of Andraste! Claiming to rise where our beloved fell!” The crowd began to yell, hurling insults and threats at me. “We say this is a false prophet! The Maker would send no elf in our time of need!”  
“We came here in peace to get help with the Breach, nothing more, and you decide to attack us? There is a real threat, one that needs to be dealt with, and it is not us,” I said loudly, for all to hear.  
“It’s true! The Inquisition seeks only to end this madness before it is too late!” Cassandra said.  
“It is already too late!” The mother yelled, pointing to a group of armed men moving onto the platform. Templars. “The Templars have returned to the Chantry! They will face this ‘Inquisition’, and the people will be safe once more!” I could tell from their armor and stance that these were not the rebel templars we fought in the Hinterlands. These men and women were well fed and armed, and had good formations and training. They were led by a man in shiny, well-kept armor with a sense of authority. Or arrogance.  Suddenly a templar punched the Mother and she screamed and fell over in pain.  
“Still yourself, she is beneath us,” The leader said to a worried looking templar who had already been on the stage.  
“What’s the meaning of this?!” I asked angrily.  
“Her claim to authority was an insult, much like your own!” He spat.  
“Lord Seeker Lucius, it’s impeditive that we speak with”- Cassandra began.  
“You will not address me,”  
“Lord Seeker?”  
“Creating a heretical movement, raising up a puppet as Andraste’s prophet, you should be ashamed,” he said. “You should all be ashamed! The templars failed no one when they left the Chantry to purge the mages! You are the ones who have failed! You who’d leash our righteous swords with doubt and fear! If you came to appeal to the Chantry, you are too late. The only destiny here that demands respect is mine.”  
“Then you just came here for a show a power!” I said.  
“I came to see what frightens old women so, and to laugh,”  
“But Lord Seeker, what if she really was sent by the Maker? What if-” Said the Templar who had been on stage with the mother.  
“You are called to a higher purpose. Do not question,” said the templar who had punched the mother.  
“I will make the Templar Order a power that stands alone against the void. We deserve recognition. Independence!” the Lord Seeker said, turning back to us. “You have shown me nothing, and the Inquisition? Less than nothing. Templars1 Val Royeaux is unworthy of our protection! We march!” And with that the Lord Seeker began marching out of the city, the templars following.  
“Charming fellow, isn’t he?” Varric said.  
“Has Lord Seeker Lucius gone mad?” Cassandra asked.  
“Hopefully he’ll see reason. If not, the templars aren’t our only hope,” I said.  
“I wouldn’t write them off so quickly. There must be some in the Order who see who he’s become,” Cassandra said. “Either way, we should return to Haven an inform the others.”  
\---  
  We were just about to head out of the city, when a mage approached us.  
“If I might have a moment of your time,” She said.  
“Grand Enchanter Fiona?” Cassandra asked.  
“Leader of the mage rebellion. Is it not dangerous for you to be here?” Solas asked.  
“I heard of the gathering, and I wanted to see the fabled Herald of Andraste with my own eyes,” She replied. “If its help with the breach you seek, perhaps you should look to your fellow mages.”  
I squared my shoulders and channeled every ounce of Celaena Sardothian (Throne of Glass, read it, it’s amazing!) I could. “Perhaps. But why speak to us now?” I asked, remembering Leliana’s advice for this kind of negotiationish thing.  
“Because now I’ve seen what you are. And I’ve seen the Chantry for what it is,” She answered. “Consider this an invitation to Redcliffe: Come meet with the mages. An alliance could help us both, after all. I hope to see you there. Au revoir, my lady Herald.” With that she turned around, and walked back into the city.  
Cassandra turned to me. “Come, let us return to Haven,” she said.  
“Actually, I was hoping we could find out who this ‘Red Jenny’ is,” I said.  
“Then why, were we leaving the city?” Varric asked.  
\---  
We entered a secluded courtyard late at night, to be immediately met with angry guards attacking us on sight.  
“It’s the Inquisition’s Herald!” A guard yelled. Running at me with a sword. Cassandra stepped in front of me, just barely blocking a sword from cleaving my arm off.  
“At least they know who I work for!” I yelled, freezing an archer before he could fire at Solas.  
“The hounds! Who lost the hounds?!”  Another guard yelled, trying to whistle for the dogs. A burst of fire engulfed her, and I wrinkled my nose at the stench. I tried not to think about how she could have a family, people who love her, who would miss her as she screamed in pain, but it’s hard to become remorseless, and not on my to-do list.  
I spun around, looking for another guard, to see that they were all lying dead on the ground. Cassandra was already heading towards the door. I ran after her.  
“Wait! I’ve read enough books to know that there is most definitely going to be more enemies through there,” I said, grabbing her by the shoulder. She nodded, and I moved toward the door. Shit. What was I thinking? Now I’m probably going to get an arrow in the nee! And then I’ll have to become a guard, and complain about it to random adventurers all the time. But there was no turning back, not with Cassandra, Varric and Solas all looking at me expectantly. I pushed open the door, and ducked. Just in time to miss being roasted alive by a fireball twice.  
“Herald of Andraste! How much did you expend to discover me? It must have weakened the Inquisition immeasurably!” A noble yelled.  
I furrowed my eyebrows. “What? Who are you?”  
The noble scoffed. “You don’t fool me! I’m too important for this to be an accident! My efforts will survive in victories against you elsewhere!” Suddenly an arrow struck a nearby guard, and an elven girl armed with a bow and several arrows jumped out from behind him, aiming an arrow at the noble.  
“Just say ‘What!’” She yelled, drawing the arrow back as far as it would go.  
“What is the-” The noble began to ask, before an arrow flew from the girl’s bow and stuck right between his eyes.  
“Eww!” The girl said. “Squishy one, but you heard me right? ‘Just say What’. Rich tits always try for more than they deserve,” She walked over to the man and began to pull her arrow out of his face. “Blah, blah, blah! Obey me! Arrow in my face!” I couldn’t help but smile, despite the carnage. The girl turned from the noble to me. “So, you followed the notes well enough, good to see you’re… And you’re an elf.” At my extremely confused look, she began to correct herself. “I mean it’s all good, innit? The important thing is: You glow? You’re the Herald thingy?”  
My eyebrows were probably as high as I could raise them. “Sure, ok, I ‘glow’. What in the  is going on?” I asked.  
“No idea. I don’t know this idiot from manners. My people just said the Inquisition should look at him,” She answered. “Name’s Sera. This is cover. Get round it. For the reinforcements, don’t worry, someone tipped me their equipment shed. They’ve got no breeches.” I smiled a little, then got into a fighting stance as several more guards came around the corner.  
“Why not their weapons?!” I yelled over the fighting.  
“Because no breeches!” She yelled back, giggling maniacally. We finished off the guards quickly, mostly because they bent over in pain when we kneed them in the nuts with armored nees.  
Sera turned to me. “Friends really came through with that tip. No breeches!” She giggled maniacally again. “So, Herald of Andraste. You’re a strange one. I’d like to join.”  
“How about we properly introduce ourselves first; I’m Sophia,” I said.  
“One name. No, wait, two. Well It’s like this: I sent you a note to look for hidden stuff by my friends. The Friends of Red Jenny. That’s me. Well, I’m one.  So is a fence in Montfort, some woman in Kirkwall. There were three in Starkhaven, brothers or something. It’s just a name yeah? It lets little people, ‘Friends’ to be part of something while they stick it to nobles they hate. So here, in your face, I’m Sera. ‘The Friends of Red Jenny’ are sort of out there. I used them to help you. Plus arrows.” She explained.  
“Alright, you’re in,” I said. “But Leliana might need to do a background check, make sure you’re not an enemy or something.”  
“Yes! Get in good before you’re too big to like. That’ll keep your breeches where they should be. Plus extra breeches, because I have all these… you have merchants who buy that pish, yeah? Got to be worth something.” She said. “Anyway, Haven. See you there, Herald. This will be grand.” I could see myself really liking Sera. She reminded me of a more hyper Emma, with a “screw society” attitude.  
\---  
I walked into the estate alone; the invitation from First Enchanter Vivienne had been for me, and not anyone else, as the guard so “helpfully” reminded us.  
“Lady Lavellan, on behalf of the Inquisition,” A man with a scroll read, announcing me. I looked around the room. It was very fancy, with large, glimmering chandeliers and golden statuettes and vases adorned with crystals and jewels.  
“What a pleasure to meet you, my lady. Seeing the same faces at every event becomes so tiresome,” A noble said, interrupting my thoughts of how that one statue looked kind of like David Bowie if you look at it right. The noble continued. “So you must be a guest of Madame de Fer. Or are you here for Duke Bastien?”  
“Are you here on business?” The woman next to him asked. “I have heard the most curious tales of you. I cannot imagine half of them are true.  
“Everything you've heard? Completely true, at least they are to Varric,” I joked.  
“Varric? Varric Tethras? Better and better. The Inquisition should attend more of these parties,” she remarked.  
“The Inquisition? What a load of pig shit. Washed-up sisters and crazed Seekers? No one can take them seriously!” A man said, walking down the steps. I raised my eyebrows questioningly and crossed my arms. “Everyone knows it’s just an excuse for a bunch of political outcasts to grab power!”  
“The Inquisition is just trying to restore peace and order. Close the giant demon hole in the sky. I mean, have you seen it lately? Kind of a big thing,” I said.  
“Here comes the outsider, restoring peace, with an army,” he accused. “We know what your Inquisition truly is. If you were a woman of honor, you’d step outside an answer the charges.” I was about to make a very good point (and a very snarky comment that he was compensating for something) , when he reached for his weapon. Before he could even lay a finger on the overly bejeweled hilt of his sword, he was incased in ice by a very awesome looking woman at the top of the stairs.  
“My dear Marquis, how unkind of you to use such language in my house, to my guests,” She said, walking down the steps. “You know such rudeness is intolerable.”  
“Madame Vivienne, I humbly beg your pardon!” The man said, hurrying with his words, making him an even worse player of the game (that’s right, I read the Masked Empire, I know this shit).  
“You should,” She said, stepping around him to face him. “Whatever am I going to with you, my dear?” She turned to me. “My lady, you’re the wounded party in this unfortunate affair. Whatever should I do with this foolish, foolish man?”  
I grinned. “I’ll leave that to you, Madame Vivienne.” She turned to the Marquis.  
“Poor Marquis, issuing challenges and hurling insults like some Ferelden dog lord,” She said, unfreezing him. “And all dressed up in your Aunt Solange’s doublet. Didn’t she give that to you to wear to the Grand Tourney? To think, all the brave chevaliers who will be competing left for Markham this morning, and you’re still here. Were you hoping to sate your damaged pride by defeating the Herald of Andraste in a public duel? Or did you think her blade could put an end to the misery of your failure? Run along my dear, and do give my regards to your Aunt.” All I could think was: whoa. Did she just ruin that man in less time then it took me to shatter Adam Smith’s fragile masculinity? I took me like 3 minutes! She ruined that man in a 6th of that time!  
She turned to me. “I’m delighted you could attend this little gathering. I’ve so wanted to meet you.” She motioned for me to follower her as she started towards the stairs. I followed her into a deserted hallway.  
The hallway was bathed in a silver light coming from the open window. We stopped in front of the window. “Allow me to introduce myself; I am Vivienne, First Enchanter of Montsimmard and Enchantress to the Imperial Court,” She said, listing off her titles like she’d said them a million times before.  
“It’s nice to meet you, Lady Vivienne,” I replied.  
“Ah, but I didn’t invite you to the chateau for pleasantries,” She said. “With Divine Justinia dead, the Chantry is in shambles. Only the Inquisition might restore sanity and order to our frightened people. As the leader of the last loyal mages of Thedas, I feel it only right that I lend my assistance to your cause.”  
“You are more than welcome in the Inquisition, Lady Vivienne,” I said. She smiled.  
“Great things are beginning, my dear. I can promise you that,” She replied.  
\---  
“It’s good that you’ve returned. We heard of your encounter,” Josephine said as Cassandra and I walked into the chantry.  
“You heard?” Cassandra asked.  
“My agents in the city sent word ahead, of course,” Leliana confirmed, walking down the hall towards us with Cullen.  
“It’s a shame the templars have abandoned their senses as well as the capital,” Cullen said, crossing his arms.  
“We at least now know how to approach either side,” I said, starting to walk towards the war room along with everyone else.  
“Do we? Lord Seeker Lucius is not the man I remember,” Cassandra said.  
“True. He has taken the Order somewhere, but to do what? My reports have been… very odd,” Leliana said.  
“We must look into it. I’m certain not everyone in the Order will support the Lord Seeker,” Cullen said.  
“Or the Herald could simply go to meet the mages in Redcliffe, instead,” Josephine suggested.  
Cullen stopped. “You think the mage rebellion is more united? It could be ten times worse!”  
“Or we could stop arguing and agree on something,” I said, annoyed with all of everyone’s bickering, I had a huge headache, and it was killing me.  
“I agree,” Cassandra said.  
“We shouldn’t discount Redcliffe. The mages may be worth the risk,” Josephine said.  
“They are powerful, Ambassador, but more desperate then you realize,” Cassandra replied.  
“You think it’s a trap?” I asked.  
“If some among the rebel mages were responsible for what happened at the Conclave…” Cassandra said, trailing off.  
“The same could be said about the templars,” Josephine said, and I swore I saw her give Cassandra the tiniest glare I have ever seen, or maybe it was just the light.  
“True enough. Right now I’m not certain we have enough influence to approach the Order safely,” Cullen said.  
“Then the Inquisition needs agents in more places,” Cassandra said. She turned to me. “That’s something you can help with.”  
“In the meantime, we should consider other options,” Josephine said, and I swore I saw her give Cassandra another tiny glare.  
Leliana walked up to me as everyone walked away. “There is one other matter,” she said. “Several months ago, the Grey Wardens of Ferelden vanished. I sent words to those in Orlais, but they have also disappeared. Ordinarily I wouldn’t even consider the idea they’re involved in this, but the timing is… curious.”  
“You’re right, that is strange,” I said, furrowing my eyebrows.  
“The others have disregarded my suspicion, but I cannot ignore it. Two days ago, my agents in the Hinterlands heard news of a Grey Warden by the name of Blackwall,” she said. “If you have the opportunity, please seek him out. Perhaps he can put my mind at ease.”  
“What if he can’t” I asked.  
“Then There may be more going on than we thought,” She said, turning to walk down the hall.  
“So much for my nap,” I muttered to myself as I turned down the hallway to where my tiny room was. “Guess I’ll have to re-pack everything and head to the Hinterlands…”  
When I arrived in my room, there was a hot cup of elfroot tea and a bowl of soup waiting for me courtesy of Josephine, who was now in my list of the top five people of the week. I sat down with a book on the history of the Grey Wardens (trying to get as much history of Thedas as I can) and took a big gulp of tea. Then I looked down at my desk  and saw a giant pile of paperwork. I groaned and put down my book.  
Most of the paperwork was handled by Cullen, Leliana and Josephine. But occasionally I would get back from a trip and find a pile of paperwork that had piled up while I was gone. Better get it out of the way now instead of having to do it later. After two hours of writing out explanations on what I thought would be the best way to do a thing, I had come to the last paper. I sighed and simply wrote that I agreed with Josephine, then signed my name at the bottom. I leaned back in my chair. Recently I had been trying not to think about home, if I did I would end up a blubbering mess in the corner. But I just couldn't help myself. I wished I would wake up and find out that this was all some coma induced dream and I could go home and play Dragon Age instead of living it. But not matter how many times I pinched my arm or closed my eyes and tried to wake up, I would open my eyes to the same small old store room turned into a bedroom in the Chantry of Haven in Thedas. Not a hospital with my family gathered around me.  
Then a single, dreadful thought entered my head. What if I was dead? It would make sense. Maybe this was the afterlife. I mean I had never been religious, I liked to use reason and logic to solve problems, but I also believed that I could be wrong. Maybe my love of Dragon Age had inserted itself in my own twisted version of Heaven. Or Hell. I had always said that if Heaven existed then it would have to have bad things to make the good things better, and vise versa with Hell. Or maybe this was really a situation straight out of a Fanfiction, where some unknown force brought me to Thedas for some weird reason. Maybe I was just crazy, and this was just all in my head. But whatever the reason for being in Thedas, I wouldn't just let this world burn. I am not a monster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes the last sentence is in reference to something Solas says in trespasser. You decide what I'm foreshadowing. (Yes it is foreshadowing, sort of)


	5. Flemeth Knows EVERYTHING

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where the tag "Flemeth messes with time in space" starts to come into play

My life was shit.  
If I even managed to fall asleep at night, I would be woken at ungodly hours from horrific nightmares. Ever since I first killed that templar near the crossroads in the Hinterlands, his death hadn't been out of my mind. Every night when I was sleeping I would see the head of my staff buried in his head, then I would look down at my hands and see that they were covered his blood. And when I tried to wash it off of my hands, it just spread until I was drowning in that templars blood.  
The days weren't much better. Fighting for our lives in some remote cover of the world where everything wants to kill you and hoping that your skilled enough to not get killed, dealing with PTSD and minor depression, constant waves of existential crises, and having to always be watching my back for assassins sent by the tons of people who apparently want me dead.  
Then there was the lack of modern devices. I was really missing the flush toilet and Google Chrome, and both would make things immensely easier. Instead I was forced to wait for one of us to get information or look it up in the library, which was tiny. But I did find ways to pay the time. Sometimes I would drop by to see Sera and she'd try to teach me lockpicking, I would go visit Varric or Solas and talk for a bit, or occasionally I'd go down to the frozen lake and jog around it a couple times.  
That was what I was doing now. As I ran around the lake, completing a third lap, I could see two people I really didn't want to talk to right now approaching. I slowed to a stop, and turned to face them. "Hello Lirril, hello Tamras," I said. "I see you decided to stay."  
"You made a good case," Tamras mumbled. "And your spymaster was impressed that we got so far past her scouts."  
"But, there is something we need to talk to you about," Lirill said coldly.  
"We know that you've always felt... apart from the clan, and that you've always been... different, but there is something off about you now, like you've changed in a way we can't see." Tamras explained.  
"Well you know, constant threat of death and giant responsibilities will do that to a person," I said coldly. Immediately feeling very quilty, I sighed and put my face in my hands. "I want to help these people. Every time I see another one of these people, innocent people, die because they belive in me, it weighs on me. Heavily. And I don’t know how long until I snap, or worse." Tamras looked sad, concerned even, but Lirill just looked ticked off.  
"I should have known. You still think those shemlen are worth saving," she said bitterly. "If it wasn't for the promise I made to Iveri, I wouldn't be here."  
Iveri. I almost gasped as that name echoed through my head. Iveri sounded too similar to Emma's middle name to be a coincidence. Emma Ivory Daniels. I don't know why her parents decided to name her after a material made from animal tusks, but they did. And sometimes we would call each other by our middle names like a nickname.  
"Iveri?"I asked shakily.  
"Yes, my sister, the one who died not too long ago, the one that made me promise to go after to make sure you were safe on her death bed. The one who cared more about her-her... you both did a disservice to the clan when you became lovers. Two females cannot produce children for the clan..." Lirill was grinding her teeth now. Now I knew why she looked so much like Emma. Emma had a twin, identical yet completely different. While Emma was compassionate and had an open mind, her sister, named Lilly, was selfish and had a closed mind. Emma's parents loved Lilly, probably more than they loved Emma.  
"Well, Lirril. If it didn't occur to you: I'm. Not. Part. Of. The. Clan. Any. More," I said slowly. "I don't owe it to you to live up to your standards."  
"You're just as bad as those dirty flat ears and shemlens you like to hang around!" She spat.  
"You can insult my sexuality. You can insult me as a person. I don't really care what you think of me. But when you insult my friends and the people that are willing to give their lives for this cause you have crossed the fucking line!" I shouted, glaring at her with nothing but a cold, deadly seriousness in my eyes. People had started to gather around us, wondering why the Herald was yelling at another dalish. Tamras figited uncomfortably next to Lirill, and Lirill was sending a glare Tamras's way. After a while of looking scared, he left Lirill' side to stand by me.  
"You would stand with the shemlens?!" Lirill asked, shocked.  
"I would stand with the woman who once single handedly healed the entire clan of that horrible sickness" he said. "And I would stand with the people who are trying to restore order to the world. These demons not only endanger human lives, they endanger all of us,"  
I smiled at him a little. "Tamras Lavellan, I would like to extend you a formal invitation to join the Inquisition," I said, feeling quite proud of myself for my ability to think of a formal sentence while furious.  
"I accept your offer and lend my full aid to your cause," he said, raising his fist to his chest. "It is an honor, mir hahren,"  
Lirill was almost completely red in the face from anger, trembling and fuming at me and Tamras. I turned to face her completely.  
"You both spit in the face of elven traditions!" She said. "You betray our people!"  
"Alright Lirill, this is how it's going to be," I growled, turning to completely face her. "You can either get your stuff and leave immediately, or I can send you home on a fireball."  
It took her a moment to realize the realness of the threat, before she scampered off to wherever she kept her stuff.  
As I looked at Tamras, I finally began to realize who he was "back home". He was a generally kind boy at my school who followed Lilly around everywhere. He was good at running and knew his history pretty well. He had always been sort of stealthy and had been rumored to have snuck one of those big fish you see in ponds at parks in a kitty pool onto the roof of the school because Lilly thought it would be funny. Lilly was the one who originated the rumor and actually got him in trouble for it. His name had been Thomas, and went to our school until he got cancer and was forced to leave school for treatment.  
It was nice to see him here, perfectly happy and free of Lirill/Lilly's clutches. I hadn't ever talked to him that much, but hopefully I could remedy that now. It was strange, fulfilling things I wouldn't have done back home in a world that until a few months ago, had been a videogame. Now I was talking to people that mirrored people from my own life, but they were different and for some reason elven (including myself). This couldn't be a coincidence.  
(Line break)  
Tracking down a warden in the middle of nowhere was a piece of cake. A bad tasting piece of cake with an okay aftertaste, but still cake.  
Fighting off Venetori with a qunari in the rain on the beach was also cake compared to this. Soggy cake, but still cake.  
Both came with rewards. Now we have a qunari and his mercenary group as well as a warden in the Inquisition.  
Throughly soaking myself to the bone in a creepy ass swamp full of undead and angry Avvar did not come with big rewards. No "party members" to recruit here, just demons, rain and zombies.  
Fucking zombies man. Why can't they just stick to their genre, and I'll stick to mine?  
"You all right there boss?" Asked Iron Bull. "You've been muttering to yourself for the last few minutes."  
"I don't like swamps and I really don't like the undead," I grumbled. "And I don't think there is a single fold of clothes that isn't completely soaked right now."  
And then of course I had to trip and fall face first in the water. Bull immediately pulled me out of the water, and we all stood still for a second, not daring to even breath in fear we had woken another horde of undead from the waters. After we were pretty sure that we were in the clear we turned around to go on our way. As we walked away from the water, I could swear I heard ragged breathing. Like if someone's lungs were rotten...  
Suddenly I felt a hand clamp around my ankle. An zombie was dragging me into the water, and fast. I clawed at the ground, trying to find something, anything to grab onto. I grabbed a root but it broke away, and then before I had the chance to grab the hand Cassandra was reaching out to grab me with, I was submerged.  
I immediately swallowed a large mouthfull of water, then inhaled a large amount as well. I kicked at the hand holding my leg, then pushed it off of my ankle as hard as I could until it finally tore off of the corpse. I pushed my self up towards the surface, cursing myself for finding the deepest part of the whole swamp to almost drown in. I broke the surface, gasping in as much air as I could and coughing up water.  
"Thanks for the help guys," was the first thing to leave my mouth when I regained my ability to properly breath. My lungs ached with the words, and my voice was raspy.  
"Why don't we find a relatively dry spot to set up camp, warm ourselves up?" Varric suggested. "I think jumpy needs a break."  
"I agree on both terms with Varric" I said through another cough. "I need a serious break."  
We scoured the area for a dry place before settling on a decently sized cave that was sheltered from the unyielding rain. The water proofing potion we had soaked our packs in before leaving Haven paid off, and all of our supplies were completely dry. We set up our tents and started a fire as I found some privacy to peel my soaking clothes off. I changed into what could be considered mages robes, but were closer to a tunic and pants. They did have lyrium sewn into them, so if anything happened I could be ready with a spell quickly.  
I sat by the fire, wringing out my hair as I tryed to get warm. I made light conversation with Solas while Sera occasionally interrupted with absurd questions about topics that ranged from enchanting bees to what I'm pretty sure was her asking whether I'd rather sleep with Mother Gisele or Chancellor Roderick.  
"I'd have to say Mother Gisele," I said, a mischievous smirk tugging at the corners of my mouth. Solas raised his eyebrows. "Because, for one, Roderick is a fascist asshole and Mother Gisele wears a skirt far better than he can ever dream." Sera laughed hysterically and I swear I saw a small smile on Cassandra's face. For a moment I thought I even saw the words "Cassandra Slightly Approves" in the corner of my eye.  
Eventually I went back to my tent, hoping my tired muscles would be enough for a peaceful sleep, preferably nightmare free. As I laid down on my bed-roll, I prayed to whoever might be out there that all this would be over soon so that I figure out how to get home, and that tomorrow it wouldn't be raining. Unfortunately neither of my prayers were answered in the morning.  
The rain was now only a drizzle, but we packed our backpacks tightly just in case. We made our way through the swamp, carefull to avoid the undead as much as possible, while following the path marked on the map to the Avvar stronghold. But when we got to the stronghold, it was surrounded by undead, all of which seemed to want to eat me in particular. After several failed attempts to get through the gate of the stronghold and myself having to fend off the dozens of zombies trying to eat my brains, Iron Bull scoped me up into the air and ran through the horde with the others following close behind. He set me down when we were inside of the main gates, and I quickly fade stepped past the Avvar on the wall and ran towards the gate's lever. I grabbed the lever and pulled it as hard as I could. I was surprised at how easy it was, I didn't remember ever being particularly strong. Could it have just been the exercise I had been getting since I got here?  
I didn't think that was it. Everything was easier; I could walk and run further, wield a staff for ninety percent of the day, carry heavy stuff for a while and even carry my own weight during combat. It must have something to do with the fact that I looked different. My hair was longer (and was a lighter color), I was shorter and I was lighter than before (like my body shape was pretty much the same, but I weighed barely anything and I'm starting to think that elves just have lighter bones), and I had facial tattoos.  
The gate closed just, leaving the horde stranded on the other side. I threw a couple of fireballs down at them, as well as some confusion grenadeds, hoping that would thin them out enough for us to get back through when we come back.  
I turned around and got shot.  
Wait, let me re-word that:  
I heard the twang of a bow and the sound of an arrow flying through the air as I turned around. Then an arrow was sticking out of my stomach, not five inches away from my heart. A lucky miss. I was met with blinding pain almost immediately. I had been shot before, but that was in the leg, by a gun. It felt completely different, worse even. I coughed and felt liquid pour out of my mouth. I looked down at the cobblestones below to see a blood spray, from my cough.  
The archer who had shot me was drawing her bow once again, aiming this time for my head. Cassandra barreled into her, knocking her to the ground. The bow went skidding across the floor, stopping next to me as I began to collapse. I fell to my knees first, my hands roughly impacting with stone as I braced my landing. I fell on to my side, a large amount of blood seeping onto the stone below.  
"Emma..." I whispered as two armored arms reached down and began to pick me up. "I'm so sorry..."  
Then everything went black.  
(Line break)  
"Hold her down! Quickly!" A familiar, British sounding voice yelled.  
"Hold in there boss, we've still got dragons to slay," a different voice said reassuringly.  
"Garret?" I asked, my words slurred. Was I finally home?  
"She's delirious," the British voice said. Why did it sound so familiar yet so alien?  
"Where's Emma?" I mumbled. "I forgot... I need to give it to her!"  
A blinding pain shot through my side and I thrashed. What the fuck was happening?!  
"Hold her down!" A commanding, female voice said. Another person from Europe?  
Someone poured something into my mouth and I blacked out again.  
"Soophiiaa," a voice sang.  
I opened my eyes to death and destruction.  
The whole world was ash and smoke, nothing left but the faint whispers of the dead and gon.  
"Where am I?" I asked, a strange feeling in the back of my head telling me I wasn't alone.  
"A place long forgotten by the currents of time," a familiar harsh voice said. I turned around to see Flemeth standing behind me. Her voice was just like I remembered it from Dragon Age 2.  
"But why? Why here?" I asked, my voice steady and calm.  
"I didn't want an audience,"  
"Right. Not ominous at all," I sighed. "Alright. What is it?"  
"The body you inhabit was that of a woman in the right place at the wrong time," she explained. "One of the people, bright and innocent, and a casualty in a war that has started again after thousands of years."  
"Right. When is sense going to start happening?"  
"Sense has nothing to do with this. Fate, however, has everything to do with this,"  
"Ok..." I said. "What was my destiny then? To risk my life for people who don't seem to give a shit about what happens to this world?!"  
Flemeth laughed. "History is full of people who deserve to face justice."  
"Justice is funny concept," I scoffed.  
"Indeed it is," she laughed. "One man can claim justice on another but to what extent? But we have strayed too far from the original purpose of this conversation."  
"Alright then get to the point,"  
"You lived in a world who's magic had been stolen long before humanity started to destroy it. Have you not wondered about the unexplained?" She said, cocking her head.  
"Well yes but-"  
"When two worlds bleed into each other enough to cause similarities, your people call it a 'parallel universe', but it is much more complicated than that," she said. "You were born from this universe bleeding into yours, you are a hybrid of sorts. Lavellan was also born from the combined blood of your world and hers, you two have always mirrored each other in life, and in death."  
"Death?" I asked. Was I dead? If this was the afterlife than this the afterlife can go to Hell. Maybe this was Hell.  
"You have lingered to long amongst the ashes of the dead, it is time to return to the living, young lady," her voice got farther away with each word, until it was gone.  
The first thing I noticed was a bright light shining through my eyelides.  
Then the pain returned.  
My side ached furiously, and I could feel the stiches that laced through my skin with uncomfortable detail. And my head, oh my head hurt so much.  
I opened my eyes.  
I was in a decent bed. A pitcher of water lay on the bedside table and a red-stained bathtub sat in the middle of the room. Next to the tub were several medieval looking medical tools and a couple of potions. A bloody arrow lay next to all of that.  
In a chair across from the bed was a sleeping Cassandra. Iron Bull was sleeping on the floor, Sera was stretched out on a worn looking couch, Varric was in another chair, Vivienne was on a different couch under a silk blanket and Blackwall was next to Bull on the ground. There was an empty seat beside the bed that seemed recently vacated. A staff was leaning beside it.  
The door opened slowly, and Solas entered the room quietly. When he saw me in my bed looking up at him with aware eyes he looked relieved.  
"You're awake, excellent," he said.  
"Can I get up?" I ask, before anything else. "I've been awake all of one minute and I'm already bored."  
He softly chuckled. "You will need to be very careful."  
He helped me out of bed and into the hallway. We sat down on a bench outside of the room.  
"Where are we?" I asked.  
"The first inn in the first village we could find," he said. After a long pause he continued. "Sleep well?"  
"I don't know. I'm still trying to make sense of things," I said. "I get some questions answered, but then they're immediately replaced with even more questions."  
"What happened?"  
"I had a conversation. With the Witch of the Wilds. In a dream," I said. "And I'm trying to make sense of what she said."  
"What did she say?" Solas asked. I could hear the itching curiosity in his voice.  
I told him our conversation.  
"What most intrigues me is your world's stolen magic," he said. "How such a feat is possible..."  
"Maybe it went to this world when ours bled together," I suggested.  
"Perhaps," he said. After a while I turned to face him fully, grimacing at the pain the shot through my side.  
"What about the last part? About me possibly being dead?" I asked. "What does it mean?"  
"I believe that it could mean several things. That when you came into this world your old body died. Or that the reason you came to this world is because of your death," he said. "Perhaps it simply means the original inhabitant of your current body died when you took over."  
I shuddered. Flemeth did say the original Lavellan was dead...  
I put my head in my hands, ignoring the pain from my side. After a short while I looked up at Solas.  
"Thank you," I said.  
"For what?"  
"Indulging me," I answered. "I don't know why I decided to trust you with this information, I just..." I trailed off. "I feel like I can actually trust you, Solas."  
Something went over his face. I couldn't tell what it was. Could it be grief? Regret?  
Whatever it was could wait. I needed to do some investigating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter be ready for more existential crises and Tevinter mages. And Dorian.  
> Also to clear something up, the voice that sang Sophia's name was not Flemeth and will come into play later.


	6. Bioware at it Again with the Goddamn Plot-twists

I spent months in the library, searching for answers. Not one book covered the appearance of strangers from other world's appearing in Thedas. I sometimes wondered if Leliana had figured it out yet. She seemed confused by me. I had plenty of background and people to vouch for me (Tamras), but there was that one missing piece of information, and I knew the agents outside my door reported what I said in my sleep to her.

And now here I was, looking in every book that might even mention people from other worlds, from theories on time magic to a recording of strange sightings, magical and non-magical alike. Leliana had to know I wasn't all I seemed. But how long until she approached me about it?

The question worried me. It lead to even more questions. Would she take it badly? Would she help me? Would she kill me? Would Solas help me if she tried to lock me up or kill me? Who else might come to my defense? Each of them just led to more questions and no answers.

I hoped she wouldn't kill me, what with the whole me being the one person who can seal the breach and the so called "Herald of Andraste". If she locked me up then she might force me to close the breach. God I hoped that if any of this did happen that someone would help me. If not some of the inner circle that has been accumulating, then who? Tamras?

I looked down at the book I was reading and cursed my ADHD. I was distracting myself yet again with horrible thoughts. If I could actually focus I might be able to find out how the fuck to get home!

"Fuck this shit!" I yelled, throwing the book across the room. It hit a book shelf and bounced off, landing on the floor. A large cloud of dust rose from the spot the book landed and I coughed angrily. If one could consider a cough angry. Jesus I missed when staying up late watching Netflix was my only problem. Hell! I even missed school! I would gladly be back in high school then have the responsibility of saving an entire world on my shoulders

I sighed and leaned against the wall. I was useless. Other than a glowing hand and some ice magic I couldn't do much. The only thing I seemed to be good at here was flirting (I've always been able to flirt), and that's not a useful survival skill (though in some situations that could be debatable). I ran my hand over my face and closed my eyes. I really needed to stop with the existential crises.

"Herald," a voice said from behind me. I spun around, flinching at the pain in my side as I did (god damn arrow wound at it again).

An agent was holding out a piece of parchment. "Leliana wanted me to give you this."

I took the parchment and unfolded it. I sighed.

"Tell her I will pack for the Hinterlands tonight," I said. "Oh, and could you ask her if she knows of anything that helps with sleep?"

The agent looked at me for a second.

"I have insomnia," I clarified.

"Is that... some sort of elvish word?" The agent asked.

"Yes," I lied. "It just means I have trouble sleeping so could you please ask her?"

"Yes Lady Herald," she said then scampered off. If scampering is something a person can do. Peter Pettigrew definitely could. Oh how I missed Harry Potter. I wished I had the books, that would make things better. But I had to settle with the books available. Genitivi's books weren't as boring as people made them out to be but that could be just because I like to read everything and had memorized most of the lore of Dragon Age.

I missed when this was all just a fun game that I would replay over and over again. This was like the game was stuck on nightmare with real pain, having to know how to survive in uncomfortable places and on drugs. I was lucky that I watched a lot of Bear Grills and Dual Survival growing up, or I would have probably died during my first week here.

I leaned against the wall, sighing and running a hand through my hair. My hand got stuck in a lump of snarls and I groaned. I wanted to just cut it all off, maybe me and Solas could make bald the new thing. I made a feeble attempt to finger comb my hair and make it look nicer before I gave up and left for the tavern. I really needed a drink right now.

"What can I get you miss?" Flissa said as I approached the counter of the tavern. "I have some soup that's almost ready."

"Hard alcohol, I just need to be drunk, and soon," I said. Flissa gave me a concerned look, one you might expect from someone who's been a mother or cared for someone. I slid some money across the counter and she left for what I had dubbed "the official liquor cabinet of the Inquisition" one night with Varric and Sera.

Flissa slid a bottle of some sort of brandy, or possibly whiskey and a small cup to drink it in. I poured myself a cup and set the bottle back on the table.

"Bottoms up," I murmured as I tilted my head back and downed the contents of my cup.

I jerked awake when a wall of ice cold water washed over my body.

"Shit! I'm up! I'm up!" I gasped, bolting up from the spot I was lying on. Everything hurt and I was thirsty as hell. I felt sick and I couldn't stand straight. I also wanted to vomit.

"You all right, jumpy?" Varric asked, holding out his hand. I took it and pulled myself to my feet.

"Does it look like I'm ok?" I groaned. "I feel like I swallowed a cactus..."

"What in Andraste's name is a cactus?" He chuckled, sounding genuinely confused.

"A plant that grows in hot and dry places that's covered in spikes and can make you sick if you don't eat the right kind," I said wearily. "It's an elf thing."

That had become a generally excuse for when something slipped that someone didn't understand. I just said it was an elf thing and was too complicated to explain. Varric chuckled again and shook his head.

"What happened last night?" I asked.

Varric sighed as I sat down on a nearby storage crate. "You drank, I'm not sure how much, it seems to get bigger with each telling, but you started babbling about two brothers and demons," he said. "Something about an angle as well"

"Angel," I corrected, rubbing my temples. "It's not angle it's angel.

"Is this another elf thing?" He asked.

"Sort of," I said. After a sort of long pause before something dawned on me. "We're leaving for Redcliffe today aren't we?"

Varric nodded.

Shit.

"I need to pack my stuff," I said, staggering towards the door of whatever room I was in.

Three hours later we were packed and on the road headed towards Redcliffe village. After some arguing, Leliana, Cullen, Josephine, Cassandra and I finally agreed that going to Redcliffe to meet with the mages was our best option at the moment. Hell! It was our only option at the moment! They were the only people that would even talk to us, let alone align themselves with us, no matter what Cullen argued about the templars.

I really hoped negotiations would go well, if they didn't we would be even further away from closing the breach.

As we approached the village, a guardswoman hurled past, barking orders at a small group of better equipped guards running the opposite direction as her. "I want a constant watch on that damned thing! Sound the alarm at the first sign of demons!" Behind the guard was a strange looking rift. Patches of ground near it were glowing strange colors, and in one I swear I saw a flower open in the blink of an eye.

"Guardswoman!" Cassandra called. "What is going on here?"

"Turn back!" She yelled back. "We can't open the gates until the threat is gone!"

"Only one thing to do then," Varric said, grabbing his crossbow off his back. The rest of our party grabbed our weapons and we got off of our horses, heading straight for the strange rift. With seven of us plus the extra guards and my glowing hand the fight went quickly. But it was one weird-ass fight.

We figured out pretty quickly that the glowing patched near the rift affected time. I, having the worst luck, managed to step in one that slowed down time, and Sera used one that sped up time to her advantage. I nearly got mauled by a Terror demon but was yanked out of the time-slowing patch and back into normal reality. Well, as normal as being in a fictional universe with demons and magic.

"What the hell was that?" I asked after closing the rift. Something was weird here

"We don't know what these rifts can do," Cassandra said. "That one appeared to alter the time around it."

"Something is wrong here," I said, narrowing my eyes and examining the air. "Everyone be careful."

The guardswoman came running back into view, yelling to open the gate. A few moments later the gate was open and we were walking through and into the village. As we took our first few steps through the gate, a scout approached us.

"We've spread word the Inquisition was coming, but you should know that no one here was expecting us," he said.

"What?" I asked, now thoroughly and utterly confused. "Not even the Grand Enchanter?"

"If she was, she hasn't told anyone," he answered. "We've arranged use of the tavern for the negotiations."

At that moment, a robed elf approached, a look of apologetic nervousness plastered on his face. "Agents of the Inquisition, my apologies! Magister Alexius is in charge now, but hasn't yet arrived. He's expected shortly," he explained quickly. "You can speak with the former Grand Enchanter in the meantime."

I glanced back at the rest of our group, giving them a look that hopefully let them know that I was incredibly suspicious of this whole thing. The mage took off down the road, our group trailing behind. We walked in silence through the village, the bas feeling coming from all this demoting any talkative mood we might have been in. Soon enough we had made it through the village and entered a relatively normal looking tavern.

"Welcome, agents of the Inquisition," said the Grand Enchanter as we walked into the room. She scanned her eyes across our group, landing on Vivienne. "First Enchanter Vivienne" She acknowledged coldly.

"My dear Fiona, it's been so long since we last spoke," Vivienne responded with mock sweetness. "You look dreadful! Are you sleeping well?"

"What has brought you to Redcliffe?" She asked. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"You invited us here during our last visit to Val Royeaux," I said slowly.

"You must be mistaken," She said, looking just as confused as I was. "I haven't been to Val Royeaux since before the Conclave."

"Then who invited me here?" I asked

"I… I don't know. Now that you say it, I feel strange…" she said, trailing off. "Whoever… or whatever brought you here, the situation has changed. The free mages have already… pledged themselves to the service of the Tevinter Imperium."

"An alliance with Tevinter?" Cassandra asked. "Do you not fear all of Thedas turning against you?"

"I understand that you are afraid, but you deserve better than slavery to Tevinter," Solas said.

Ignoring their comments, Fiona continued, "As one indentured to a Magister, I no longer have the authority to negotiate with you."

I sighed. I needed this alliance, we needed this alliance. "Well then who does?" I asked.

As if on cue, the door opened and two men dressed in the most ridiculous clothes I have ever seen walked through the door.

"Welcome, my friends! I apologize for not greeting you earlier," said the older looking of the two. I didn't like him. He was up to something, and probably behind the weird shit happening around here.

"Agents of the Inquisition, allow me to introduce Magister Gereon Alexius," Fiona said, gesturing towards the red-clad Magister.

"The southern mages are under my command," he said matter of factly. "And you are the survivor, yes? The one from the Fade? Interesting…"

Alexius was creeping me the fuck out. He was showing way to much interest in me to be here with good intentions. He was definitely up to something fishy.

"Redcliffe is quite a long way from Tevinter, Alexius," I said coldly.

"Indeed I am, though I have heard you are no Fereldan either." He said. "It seems we are both strangers here."

I almost snorted. If he had any idea how right he was…

He motioned for me to follow him and we both sat down at a small table.

"Felix would you send for a scribe, please?" He asked, looking at the younger man he had entered with. "Pardon my manners. My son Felix, friends."

Felix bowed. He didn't have the same air as his father did. While his father was really creepy, Felix seemed nice. Alexius turned his attention back to me.

"I'm not surprised your here," he said. "Containing the Breach is not a feat many would attempt. There is no telling how many mages would be needed for such an endeavor. Ambitious, indeed."

"I mean, when you're attempting to close a demon spawning hole in the sky, you've got to think big," I said, smirking.

"There will have to be-" he began. Felix had returned with a scribe, but he was walking funny. Both Alexius and I shot up, my pre-programmed empathy causing me to immediately shoot forward as Felix tripped over his own feet. I caught him, and almost missed him slip a note into my hand. I let go of him in surprise, and he lowered to the ground.

"Felix?" Alexius asked, his voice sounding concerned for once and not creepy.

"I'm so sorry! Please forgive my clumsiness, my lady," he said.

"Are you alright?" Alexius asked, walking towards his son and helping him up.

"I'm fine father," he said.

"Come, I'll get your powders," he said as he and Felix began towards the door. "Please excuse me, friends. We will have to continue this at a later date." He started towards the door. "Fiona I require your assistance back at the castle," He added as he passed the former enchanter.

"I don't mean to trouble everyone," Felix said weakly as he hobbled after his father.

"I shall send word to the Inquisition," Alexis said, turning around to address our group one last time. "We will conclude this business at a later date."

I waited until Alexius and his entourage had completely left the building before I took out the note Felix had shoved into my hand.

"Come to the chantry. You are in danger," I read aloud quietly to the rest of our group.

"Well, aren't we secrety," Sera mumbled

"A secret note telling me I'm in danger? Must be my luck day," I said. "Though we should be careful I suppose."

We walked to the chantry without Tevinter mages jumping out at us and frying us extra crispy, but as we neared the door, we heard fighting. I grabbed my staff off of my back and gestured to the rest of our group to do the same. We moved into our normal fighting formation, ranged fighters in the back and the warriors in the front. It was a little strange, the fact that using magic and battle formations were normal to me now. When did I go from playing videogames to living in a videogame?

Oh right.

5 months ago.

Cassandra pushed the door open, then jumped to the side, the rest of us were already out of view of the door, just in case. When no fireballs or arrows immediately came flying out of the door, Cassandra ducked into the building, her shield at the ready. The rest of us ran into the room after her, but were surprised at what we found.

A dark haired mage was using his staff like a melee weapon, charging it with magic as he fought two shades that had spawned from another strange rift in the middle of the room.

"Good you're finally here!" The mage exclaimed as he finished off what looked like the first wave of demons. "Now help me close this, would you?"

Another wave of demons spawned and we didn't have time to question, it's hard to talk when all of your attention is focused on battle tactics and keeping everyone alive.

Cassandra beheaded a terror demon and the rift shuddered and folded in on its self a tiny bit. I moved in and held up my hand. The mage stepped forward and began to intently study the green laser-thingy connecting the mark to the rift. The rift collapsed with a loud bang.

"Fascinating," The mage thought aloud. "How does that work, exactly?"

I was too busy wondering how this man made a mustache like that work to realize I had been asked a question.

The mage laughed. "You don't even know, do you?" He said. "You just wiggle your fingers and boom! Rift closes."

"Normally I would share and say "pretty much", but right now I just want answers," I said, putting one hand on my hip. "Who are you?"

"Ah. Getting ahead of myself, I see," he said. "Dorian of House Pavus, most recently of Minrathous. How do you do?"

I liked this mage, Dorian. From the sass to the mustache he had already made a good impression.

"Another Tevinter," Cassandra said. "Because cautious with this one."

"Suspicious friends you have here," Dorian remarked.

"Suspension seems to be common in Thedas," I sighed.

"Magister Alexius was once my mentor," Dorian said. "So my assistance should be invaluable-as I'm sure you can imagine."

"Why would you betray your former mentor?" I asked. "I'm guessing he's planning something you don't agree with."

"Alexius hasn't been my mentor for quite some time now," Dorian said. "And you're not wrong about that last part."

"You obviously know there's danger. That should be obvious without the note," he continued. "Let's start with Alexius claiming the allegiance of the mage rebels out from under you. As if by magic, yes? Which is exactly right. To reach Redcliffe before the Inquisition, Alexius distorted time itself."

"Well... shit," I said. "Because messing with time never ends badly."

I sighed. "Please tell me this is less dangerous than it sounds."

"More," Dorian said. "The rift you closed here? You saw how it twisted time around itself, sped somethings up, slowed others down."

"Yes, I remember."

"Soon there will be more like it, and they'll appear further and further away from Redcliffe," he explained. "The magic Alexius is using is wildly unstable, and it's unraveling the world."

"This is... a lot to swallow..." I said, unsure of whether this information was trustable just quite yet.

"I know what I'm talking about," Dorian said, his eyebrows descending with frustration. "I helped develop this magic.

"When I was still his apprentice, it was pure theory. Alexius could never get it to work," Dorian continued. "What I don't understand is why he's doing it? Ripping time to shreds just to gain a few hundred lackeys?"

"He didn't do it for them," Felix said, striding into the room with no evidence of sickness what so ever.

Dorian's face lit up, a smile spreading easily across his face when he saw Felix. "Took you long enough," he said. "Is he getting suspicious?"

"No, but I shouldn't have played the illness card, I thought he'd be fussing over me all day," Felix turned to face me. "My father's joined a cult. Tevinter supremacists. They call themselves: Venatori."

"And I can tell you one thing," he said. "Whatever he's done for them, he's done it to get to you."

"He ripped a hole in time just to get to me?" I asked. "And I didn't even buy him a present."

"Send him a fruit basket," Dorian suggested with a smirk. "Everybody loves those."

"You know you're his target," he continued, his tone becoming more serious. "Expecting the trap is the first step in turning it to your advantage."

"I can't stay in Redcliffe," Dorian said. "Alexius doesn't know I'm here, and I want to keep it that way for now. But whenever you're ready to deal with him, I want to be there, I'll be in touch."

"Alright," I said with a smirk. "As long as you're not a spy or anything."

Dorian smirked, "I'm only a mage from Tevinter, what's there to worry about?" He said, as he walked away. After a few seconds he turned back around. "Oh, and Felix? Try not to get yourself killed."

"There are worse things than dying, Dorian," Felix said. It surprised me, but not that much. Maybe there was some history between the two of them? Either way, we now had to deal with a Tevinter cult out to kill me and recruit the mages to our side. Cullen was going to be ecstatic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the huge gap between this chapter and the last, things have been difficult for me lately and its hard to post these so soon after each other. I had some major winters block and procrastined a lot so this is a bit rushed.
> 
> Also I hope you enjoyed :)
> 
> And remember constructive criticism is always helpful and appreciated. As long as it's helpful.


	7. This is the End

I'm sorry guys but this is it. I'm abandoning this fic. I just don't really know where to go and I have other, better ideas that make more sense to me. I'm going to be writing a da2 fic, and that will take the place of this eventually. 

And because I hate cliff hangers I'm just going to tell you. The real Lavellan is dead, and Sophia never ends up going home. Emma died in the damage caused by the spell Flemeth preformed to bring Sophia into their world, the reason Flemeth brought Sophia was because the real Lavellan actually died during the chantry explosion and the whole mark process, so Flemeth was forced to use Sophia, who is the version of Lavellan that exists in "our" world. 

Eventually Sophia gets revealed as a Somniari, she almost gets possessed a few times, but has enough willpower to outsmart the demon. Sophia makes all the decisions that are considered "good" pretty much. She gets Celene and Briala back together, drinks from the well of sorrows (based on a gut feeling) and at the end of Trespasser, she doesn't try to convince Solas not to commit genocide, she vows to do whatever she can to stop him and makes the Inquisition the divines personal guards

Even though she has a chance to leave and go home, she stays because she has a new life and new friends and she doesn't want to leave Josephine. 

I'm sorry again but I just can't focus on this. I have so much stuff I have to do so I'm not going to try and write 5 things at once.


End file.
